


Gods, Bound By Rules

by HomesickAlien



Category: Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Canon Divergence, Dragon Quest XI Act III Spoilers, Gen, does anyone even still check this tag, i debated tagging 3 spoilers or 2 but like lets just be safe, the setting is act ii though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:20:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29046783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomesickAlien/pseuds/HomesickAlien
Summary: What a horribly smug Child of the Goddess, to make deals with the devil. Right before Her inanimate vessel, upon the island that bears the Tree of Life. Even this one seems surprised by the choice of the Luminary, to do away with fate and take his place above humans, beneath Gods; A lesser deity, lost amidst the flow of time, he hasn’t a reason to follow their rules. He doesn’t have to play along with them, he only has to play the role of a stubborn king piece.Thus begins another game.
Relationships: Hero | Luminary & Evil God Nizuzerufa | Dark One Calasmos (Dragon Quest XI)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	Gods, Bound By Rules

**Author's Note:**

> shooting for having the longest relationship tag in the fandom, did I win the award? What’s my prize? 6 trillion kudos/comments I hope. (Or dollars?!!!!)
> 
> (by the way, im not tagging the chara death tag bc its nothing to do with this fic beyond It Happened In The Game but i mean. You Know.)
> 
> (by the way^2 this may be the first fic regarding Calasmos as a character so I’m sort of doing as I please here. I did search for others but nothing came up... Maybe I’m two for two here. Anyway, enjoy!!!)

There are more important things to be worrying about, right now.

The whereabouts of his lost friends, the falling star in the sky… He hadn’t said a word about it, in Gallopolis, but this strange creature that’s been following their steps on a whim, has now taken to crawling over the prince’s body. It’s wiped away all his worries and fears, if only for the absurdity of it all. A part of him wishes to grab one of them, ask them if they see it, he knows they don’t, but he wants to ask anyway. He doesn’t, because it might just fade away like all the others have if he loses sight of it.

When it walks further amidst the ruins, he chases after it. Slowly, so as not to be alarming. Standing in a place not too far off from the rest of them.

If they can’t see it, it must be his imagination, right? There’s no longer a Goddess to call upon to bring clarity to his sanity. This mark beats dull as ever, and he’s still uncertain whether or not he holds any power at all, anymore. 

Thankfully, there are other Gods listening to his plights.

————/

He grips his ear, to stop the pulsing. This disjointed screech that fizzles with every word, an unclear sentiment of speech that he’d once thought them to be incapable of. And though he’s sure those words it shared with him were not of any language known to Erdrea, somehow, he understands. He shakes his head, annoyed.

_Yse, I spupsoe taht wsa a slily qtesuoin._

It was, but at least it was confirmation of something he’d thought was all in his head. Unless, being consolidated by that imaginary thing is also just his imagination attempting to justify itself. Regardless, he takes it as an accomplishment the same as all the other strange happenings that have come to pass since his coming of age. If this were the weirdest event of the era of becoming a hero, he’d certainly have had it made.

No, he sees the result of this curse of the Luminary all around him. Even this one— _tehn yuo msut be…—_ is a symptom of his fate.

He wants to indulge this creature further, to try and communicate with it, but…

“Are you okay, honey? You were talking to yourself— and we all know what that means…”

Does he have a habit of talking to himself, he wonders? Maybe, he lacks awareness. More now than ever. By the time he thinks of something to say, it seems a terrible calamity has come to greet them. That is, the screeching tormenting his inner ears is now replaced by the shaking earth, and the once-falling-now-plummeting ‘Lantern.’

It’s far too much to process. Though he hears their panicking, and maybe thinks it would be a good time to raise his birthmark hand and pray desperately to God, he’s captivated by the sight as much as his own grandfather is. And the voice, that’s whispering unpleasantly a dream of the end of time… 

The only thing that manages to snap him out of this, is the Lord of Shadows passing over them, and the shattering of the supposed star in but a single blade’s slash. He covers his face with his arms, struggling to keep his balance as the star’s explosion resounds the whole world. And with it, the declaration of a false deity. 

_This world is mine and mine alone._

Was he too quick to turn his head, while the others collect their thoughts? He wonders, but he can’t help but asking mindlessly— You? Were you going to challenge the _Lord of Shadows?_

It doesn’t budge. Perhaps it is also still in shock. As he hears Sylv’s voice calling upon them to seek the Sultan’s advice, at least so as to learn the meaning of the phrase carved upon a star, this one falls to its knees. 

In frustration. In defeat. In malice.

Even as the others wander off without him, he remains stagnant. Is this creature mourning, now? Even as a long amount of time passes, it doesn’t budge an inch. He crouches with it, in waiting, until he gets bored of waiting and seeks to grab it by his own hands. 

These strange appendages, maybe it thought to push him away for a moment, but they seem to come to a mutual understanding quickly. It’s arms wrapped around his, his hand squishing its face awkwardly. So, they _can_ retain a physical form, despite their lack of presence… 

It must be a danger to keep it around, if it truly were the cause of the falling ‘star.’ But if it’s at odds with Mordegon, then perhaps…

“Would you like to go on an adventure with me?”

Does it really understand him? Surely it also knows, that is what it had aimed to ask him prior to the incident— “You know I’m the Luminary, don’t you?” 

He wonders if it’s quieted down because of its losses, or because it knows something he doesn’t. It doesn’t matter either way, the only harm in not taking it along is that it may try to end the world, again. The least it could do is wait on him to defeat Mordegon, and so, in the hero’s book, it’d be best to look after it until that time.

Until he can consolidate with his Mother on the matter, anyway.

Could it be this thing is protecting him, for some reason? 

He hadn’t thought much of it before facing the Lord of Shadows head on, again. Or maybe it’s really just a vengeful creature, after the falling star incident. As far as guidance goes, it certainly isn’t any better or worse at it than the tree, anyway.

Truthfully, they both seem to enjoy treating his life as a chess piece in a game, of sorts. The same for his friends, his family, and the entire world; The difference is that the Luminary is the king piece. The most vital of all of them. The rest of them, their capture on the field, their life, or their subsequent deaths, are insignificant to the game itself beyond who can lay claim to the fate of the Luminary first. 

Or last, in this case. For all he understands it, he was born to serve the Holy Tree, but now he wonders himself what god it is he’s meant to be praying to. He’s simply swinging his sword a fool at this point. Who will toy with them when Mordegon is finally felled? Surely, this isn’t the end.

He truly could care less about their stubborn quarrels. The pride, the lust, the greed of the Gods will never be satiated. If Yggdrasil wins round three, then another will take to round four. And so on, and so forth, to the very end of time, until the world forgets the meaning of a _hero._

For him, he’d just like to return home to his mother, eat her stew for the first time in years, and fall into bed as if his restless soul could sleep through the night.

Like the day before he’d left… 

Just as Mordegon seeks to strike the hero, the appendages of the creature wrap around his body, mimicking the hero that holds up his arms defensively. What a heartless creature this thing is, striking Mordegon when he hasn’t even the eyes to see it— _Despite trying to collect its powers…_ A false successor to a God, those who become too desperate are sure to meet the same fate.

The price of the star, once hailed as Erdwin’s, is to finally reunite with that old ally. 

_What is it you were seeking?_

_………_

_A body?_

Everyone has already accepted the star of the legendary luminary gone, the same as Dundrasil, the same as Zwaardrust. The water continues flowing down the river all the same. Time ebbs, and flows… All according to each Gods’ next move across the board.

By that divine protection of Her polar opposite, the hero takes the final strike to the Lord of Shadows. A sword of light, wrapped in shadows; This is the power of a true _Lord of Shadows_ _._ Not a pathetic imitation. 

He asks in a prayer as the eternal dusk fades away, that this brings peace to the suffering brought upon by the Gods and their failures.

At the end of a perilous battle, the tree rises in the sky once again. That brilliant sight, despite its bitter taste, softens his face just a bit. He can’t keep his heart from racing, or his face from shining softly. A dim light as solace washes over the world.

Of course, it’s a disappointing development for the one that hangs off his shoulders. He smiles a touch more condescendingly to this, grabs its cheek endearingly. Their souls are still bound as one for the time being, and until the end of time he will fulfill the wish of the one that bears his life.

_I won’t let you go._

It’s a threat, not a promise. 

“Hey… Are you…?”

That’s right, even now sometimes he forgets that they can’t see them. Maybe, someday, Yggdrasil will bless him to escape the embarrassment of talking to himself. She’s only just reawoken, though. It’d be rude of him to expect so much, after She’d revitalized this dying world of theirs anew.

It doesn’t keep his cursing away. He plays off his touch to this one as a wave of his hand, dismissively, and stares at the great tree once again. For the time being, perhaps his wish of returning home may finally be fulfilled. The taste of his mother’s cooking is sure to be ten times as delicious.

A celebration of life, a celebration of death.

If this much could honor the sacrifice of his closest friend, he might finally rest easy for good.

This is more than a final send off to Veronica, but all those they’ve failed to protect. It has never been the loss of just a single life. He wonders if the same sentiment was shared with his predecessor. His hand feels warm, but the voice is silent.

Amidst the quieting breeze of this gentle place, the buzzing is also silenced. Perhaps even the Gods have reason to pray from time to time. While he waits for the rest of them, he holds close both their hands. Of Veronica, of Yggddrasil, and now…

_Calasmos was your name, wasn’t it?_

_Still unaccustomed to the responses that come from God like creatures. It’s like the static of Yggdrasil’s visions. Her strange lack of communication, the same as his. He winces._

_What was inside the egg?_

_It seems this one is still sulking its losses. It lays flat on its face, it refuses to answer._

The hero opens his eyes from prayer, his hands shaking as they tighten around one another. It’s the same prayer he’s offered since his birth, but the warm glow is proof that for once She’s truly listening.

Maybe, Veronica’s leaf has gotten caught in the wind where it fell. If it’s yet to wither on the ground, then someday…

Someday… 

He holds his head tightly. Where did such a thought come from, to play God with the lives that have accepted fate. This isolated pain that makes his stomach sick at the thought, if not for the voice of Serena, or the sun finding its place in the peak of the sky, maybe he’d let it whisper to him a while longer.

This is not a day of mourning. This is a happy day of rejoicing. It’s a day where all of them can enjoy each other’s presence without the weighty despair of his birth’s fate. 

He’s lost track of it, again. Only for a moment. Only for a second.

The hero holds the sword behind him. It’s eerie smoke enrapturing his hands. This is the same taste of Calasmos that the Lord of Shadows had had. Swinging it down, with the swiftness of the hammer to the forge to create an entirely new existence…

He stops at Calasmos’ head. He stares intently.

_Is this the only thing that can destroy the vessel of the Dark One?_

After all, it had been enough to take the body. And now, all that’s left is the soul. Is this enough to bring peace to the Great Tree’s mind?

Of course not. She wants him to suffer a greater torment than even this. That even a loss as wide as the chasms is not enough to satiate Her taste. 

And neither, this one’s…

“Do you want to play another game together?”

She must be speaking through him, this time. She must be craving another challenge to prove Her greatness to the world. How long have these two been at one another’s throats? Even now, She won’t respond to him properly.

_Yuo wsih to og bcak to taht dya?_

“No, let’s go back even further than that.”

He had told them he wished to sit and think on it. Whether it would be right of him to offer the heart of Yggdrasil in exchange for their old friend. To be honest, Serena’s painful expression, her strained voice, was more than enough for him to make up his mind. But there is still the devil on his shoulder to consider. As he has always been told, in the stories of _good_ and _evil—_ Light can not exist without dark.

And because of the darkness that remains, his light is still burning with purpose.

“The day of my birth. You were there, too, weren’t you.”

It isn’t a question; He’d seen it himself, when he were forced to watch that day replay as an adult by the memories of his decaying father. It’s not one he wishes to revisit, but something in his heart tells him it might be fun to try it. To flip completely the tide of fate, the dreams of both Gods lost in the mourning of a single child’s birth. 

“It’s a risk either way, so we’d better make it count, right?”

What a horribly smug Child of the Goddess, to make deals with the devil. Right before Her inanimate vessel, upon the island that bears the Tree of Life. Even this one seems surprised by the choice of the Luminary, to do away with fate and take his place above humans, beneath Gods; A lesser deity, lost amidst the flow of time, he hasn’t a reason to follow their rules. He doesn’t have to play along with them, he only has to play the role of a stubborn king piece. 

The two join hands, and thus begins another game, between the Gods, and the _Luminary._

**Author's Note:**

> thanks *･゜ﾟ･**･'ｃｏｍ ｍｅｎｔ'･**･゜ﾟ･* 〜 and be safe as always.


End file.
